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PAGE 28 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 28, 2021 BY KEHINDE OLAOSEBIKAN TOMORROW, March 1, 2021, in faraway Geneva, Switzerland, Nigerians will be completing the takeover of the leaderships of trading bureaucracies as they affect Africa and the world as a whole. Nigeria-born Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in a historic engagement assumes the position of the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), as the first woman, first African, to occupy the coveted global seat this Monday. She will be joining and leading her fellow Nigerian brothers, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Professor Benedict Okey Oramah, President and Board Chairman of African Import-Export Bank (Afreximbank), who have been in charge of trade and commerce of the African continent for over Five years now, in the administration and promotion of trade across the globe. Essentially, Dr. Okonjo Iweala as the DG of WTO would be administering world trade organisations’ trade agreements, providing for trade negotiations, handling trade disputes, monitoring national trade pol- BY LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU HIS name resonates across the political firmament for the positives. He is tenacious, resilient and unequivocal. His candour is vexatious, yet he speaks with some enigmatic, mythical valour and philosophical temerity. From a tortuous, stifling political background in a sub-national scene in 1999, he has continued to rise in geometrical progression, weathering the stormy shrills of betrayal to becoming an Iroko, a political colossus to the utter amazement of the marauding forces and to the administration of his supporters. Anyone with an impeccable sense of political history of Abia State at the dawn the 4th republic, precisely between 1999 and Okonjo-iweala, Adesina, Oramah rule the world of trade, commerce mittee on Information from 2011 – 2015, a position for which he worked as the Spokesman of the Senate. Abaribe was also appointed Chairman Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy from 2015 – 2019 and at the inauguration of the 9th senate on June 11, 2019, he emerged the Minority Leader. Undoubtedly, Abaribe’s legislative imprints at the national parliament are big and boldly seen beyond his immediate Abia South Senatorial District. To the people of Abia South Senatorial District whom he represents, Abaribe has recorded very unassailable achievements. For Ndigbo, the people of the south east, the Senator has continued to proicies, providing technical assistance and training for developing countries, and ensuring cooperation with other international organizations. Dr. Adesina blazed the trail on May 28, 2015 when he emerged as the first Nigerian to lead the AfDB charged with the development of trade and commerce in Africa. Erudite, versatile and ever innovative, Adesina served meritoriously in that position for five years and the tyranny and bullying of the immediate past President of the United States of America, Mr. Donald Trump was not potent enough to deny him a second term in office. He did well as the helmsman of AfDB and the board of the bank, and indeed the entire world appreciated and rewarded him with a second term in office. Closely following Adesina’s steps, Professor Oramah was first appointed as the President of Afreximbank on September 21, 2015 and with stellar performance matched with profound and stainless conduct, the University of Ibadan Agricultural Economics graduate BY BOB CHIMUNAYA IBENEME IN a tribute to his friend Comrade Issa Aremu on his 60th birthday, Dr Alex Otti had narrated how in his early years as a bachelor a certain landlord had overturned a previous housing arrangement with his friend, Issa, with whom he was sharing an apartment and made him ‘Alex’ vacate his room without prior notice and he “The Son of man” had nowhere to lay his head!” My path with this “Son of man” crossed during the 2015 Abia gubernatorial election. We have an Abia State Diaspora group based in US and Canada which I happened to be the Secretary of. In the course of searching for a gubernatorial candidate that our group in Diaspora will support, we had to do a lot of background check. After much research and background enquiries our group settled for the then bank MD who was contesting the gubernatorial election in Abia. Our group, consisting of mainly well-informed politically conscious professionals in the United States and Canada, had worked independently and we unanimously agreed to support Otti as our preferred candidate. For the most part, in this part of the world that we live in, people are respected when their stories portray a humble beginning that sprouts success through self-discipline, dedication, hard work and perseverance irrespective of the challenges their background had posed. Otti’s background had been an excellent fit and made him an easy choice for us. In his case, this is a story of a young man whose parents had minimal income that could barely sustain their family daily living expenses not to talk of sending their children to the University. Young Alex would have to hawk on the street in the *Benedict Oramah was seamlessly appointed to serve for another term of five years unanimously by the Board of the bank last year. In his first term as the President of Afreximbank, Prof. Oramah transformed the bank beyond the expectations of the board. At all times, in good, bad, progress and adversities, he has effectively and positively made the most of the Afreximbank, navigating and advancing African trade through thick and thin. With profound policies and programmes, Oramah proactively positioned the bank to respond to the challenges Abaribe: The Made-In-Aba Senator at 66 2003 would remember the unsavory political trajectories that dotted the time, featuring Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe as the deputy governor of Abia State under Senator Orji Uzo Kalu. Like always, Abaribe had at the time stood against certain misdemeanors in the governance of the State in most ardent manner, warning against reducing the state to an individual fiefdom and a clubbed oligarchy. He had warned against personalizing our common patrimony by a gluttonous, power intoxicated persons. Of course, his stance became a huge insult and embarrassment to the political forces at the time. Expectedly, all hell was let lose against him and pronto, impeachment onslaughts became in rife. But a cat with nine lives, Abaribe survived three different ferocious impeachment attempts on him by the then State House of Assembly. On March 7, 2003, he resigned his office and opted to run for the office of Governor against the incumbent. This ambition gave birth to Otuonu Movement, a renaissance that awakened the political consciousness of many geographical sections of the state especially his Ukwa/Ngwa nation made up of 9 local government areas. Though the bid was unsuccessful, the next move in 2007, however, landed Abaribe at the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where he has been since then, presently serving a fourth term. At the Senate, Abaribe has taken his philosophy of good governance which sits on the tripod of justice, equity and fairness to a of the Africa Free Trade Agreement and resourcefully evolved PATIMFA to mitigate the negative effects of COVID 19 on African trade and commerce. Today, Afreximbank is a major catalyst for trade and commerce in Africa, ditto for the AfDB under the leadership of Adesina. Overall, both Adesina and Oramah have proved their mettle, adding real values to the AfDB and Afreximbank respectively with the unprecedented transformation of trade, commerce and industry in the last five years. They have done Nigeria, their home country, really proud. Ascending the WTO highest position with what can correctly be described as the best of credentials, preparedness, support and confidence; Dr. Okonjo-Iweala emerged the 7th President of the 164 nation organisation when the international community was looking for a leader who will not only be able to exercise intellectual leadership and diplomatic skills in advancing the multilateral agenda but who is also a good communicator with strong managerial skills. More than ready to lead the world, Okonjo Iweala’s immediate response to her selection confirmed that she was exactly the most suitable person, the person God has deliberately prepared for the WTO leadership for this very moment. Profusing quality leadership, humility, focus and seriousness, she said: “I am honored to have been selected by WTO members as WTO Director General. A strong WTO is vital if we are to recover fully and rapidly from the devastation wrought by the COVID 19 pandemic. I look forward to working with members to shape *Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe notch higher, showing a predilection to the saying that what is good for the geese is also good for all. Since his sojourn at the Senate, Abaribe has held many notable offices which included Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Inter-Paliamentary Affairs 2007 – 2011; Chairman Senate Com- and implement the policy responses we need to get the global economy going again. Our organization faces a great many challenges but working together we can collectively make the WTO stronger, more agile and better adapted to the realities of today.” As the Amazon at WTO works towards giving the world a stronger, more active and better trading structure and the duo of Adesina and Oramah see to the realization of the much desired an African Integrated market for the greatest benefits of Africans and the world, Nigeria will continue to earn greater prestige even more than the bumper one at hand today. It is a moment to be proud of being a Nigerian. It is also a time for all of us to be more dedicated, committed to the cause of our motherland and contribute our best in whatever we are doing and wherever we find ourselves. Contnues on www. vanguardngr.com *Olaosebikan is the CEO of Midas Communications, a global PR firm. ALEX OTTI: ‘Son of man’ turns 56 *Dr Alex Otti morning before going to school to help make ends meet. He ended up going to the University of Port Harcourt against all odds, graduating with a first class in economics and the best student overall with the highest GPA. He eventually rose to the peak of his career by attaining the height of a bank Managing Director in Nigeria. It was indeed a perfect choice and easy for us to support his candidacy. Over the years, in the course of interacting with Otti, I found out that there is a lot of special attributes attached to this one man that have earned my admiration and great respect. My grandfather used to say “Sabi book no be sabi sense”. Not only has Otti proven to be an academic genius; he also has the native wisdom, which for the most part is very essential to be successful in life. To me people don’t care much about you until you show how much you care about them. In 2018, kidnappers abducted my mother in my village. I had reached out to some of my contacts. Otti was far away in Germany but he followed up with me almost on daily basis until my mother was released. He has always been there for me and my family both in good and bad times and so he is to many of his friends some of whom he has kept close relationships for as long as 40years and still counting. In him I find a man whose loyalty to true friendship is parallel to none. Over these years I have tried to study Otti through some of his actions, decisions and stand on issues and found him to be a true leader in every definition of leadership and an administrator par excellence. He has exhibited boldness where a lot of leaders will shiver, he has stood by the truth where most men will bend in order to be politically correct and he has judged men not by what people say about them but based on the content of their character as they have proven to him. His ability to be calm and rationale in the midst of a storm is a rare gift and hardly will there be a problem with him not having a solution or an idea of solving the problems. His versatility in almost every sector of the economy be it banking, energy, telecom, Information Technology etc is outstanding. In our home state of Abia, Otti has carved his name on stone and has made himself from obscurity to sublime. Hardly will you mention Otti in any village in Abia that both the old and young will not know him. This is not just because he had contested elections in the state, but because of his humanitarian deeds and developmental strides in various communities. Contnues on www. vanguardngr.com •Ibeneme, an engineer, writes from United States. tect their interests in matters of national significance. In fact, if there is a voice so firm and loud against the marginalization of Ndigbo, it is that of Abaribe. Consequently, many have reasoned that though the world has regrettably become enmeshed in some moral cataclysmic earthquake and political subterfuge, Abaribe still belongs to the circle of men who by God’s unlimited grace are holding so tenaciously to their creed of decency; men who in their inmost souls are true and honest; men who are not for sale. Consequently, they see him as the last man standing. Contnues on www. vanguardngr.com
SUNDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 28, 2021, PAGE 29 Arsenal boss rates Ndidi’s Leicester high ahead EPL clash *Ndidi There is no luck behind Leicester City’s rise into the Premier League’s top four, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said. In his assessment of the Foxes ahead of today’s clash, the Gunners boss praised the club’s smart recruitment and the development of the players under Brendan Rodgers, saying they “totally deserve” to be third in the table. City sit 15 points clear of Arsenal ahead of the clubs’ meeting, albeit it was the north London side that enjoyed greater success in Europe this week, beating Benfica 3-2 in their ‘home’ leg in Greece to make the last 16, while Rodgers’ men were knocked out by Slavia Prague. “They’ve been really consistent in the league,” Arteta said at his pre-match press conference. “I think they’ve done a lot of good things, there’s not any luck or anything like that in how they’ve developed as a team. “Obviously they have a really good manager, a great coaching staff and they have made a lot of good decisions in the last few seasons. “They have built a way of playing which is completely suited to their recruitment policy they have, and with a bit of time the quality that they had already in the team – plus some young talents that they have recruited and experienced players they already have – they have a really good mixture. “I think they totally deserve the position they are in at the moment.” U-17 AFCON: Eaglets thrash Bayern Munich sponsored side Eaglets’ prepara tions for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations received a boost with their 5-1 thrashing of a Bayern Munich sponsored side yesterday in Abuja. The Eaglets will kick off their campaign of the tournament with a game LeBron James hits back at Ibrahimovic over political jibes LeBron James has hit back at Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s claim that athletes like him should keep out of politics and stick to their sport. The AC Milan forward called out the basketball icon on Friday, saying that he was taking advantage of his status. The Los Angeles Lakers star, famously told to “shut up and dribble” by television presenter Laura Ingraham, has been outspoken about non-sporting issues throughout his career and has now felt compelled to respond to the Swedish striker’s comments. “[LeBron] is phenomenal at what he’s doing, but I don’t like it when people have some kind of status, they go and do politics at the same time,” Ibrahimovic told Discovery+ in Sweden. But the James replied: “It’s funny that he’s (Ibrahimovic) said that because I believe back in 2018 he’s the same guy who said that when he was back in Sweden, he was talking about the same things. Because his last name wasn’t a certain last name, he felt like there was some racism going on while he was out on the pitch… right? Woods in good spirits after horror car crash Tiger Woods is in “good spirits” as he continues to be treated in hospital following a serious car accident in Los Angeles. A statement posted to the legendary golfer’s Twitter account said that he received successful “follow-up procedures” on Friday to treat his injuries. “Tiger and his family want to thank you all for the wonderful support and messages they have received over the past *Tiger Woods few days,” the update added. Woods was moved to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Thursday in the next stage of his recovery. Open fractures to the 45-year-old’s tibia and fibula - and further injuries to his foot and ankle - had been stabilised during surgery with the insertion of a rod, screws and pins. But the severity of his injuries, when coupled with the fact that he was already sidelined following a fifth back operation, means his professional golfing career is now hanging in the balance. Investigators have said that Woods survived “what would otherwise have been a fatal crash” on Tuesday morning because the interior of his vehicle had remained largely intact. “He did say that, right? Yeah. I thought he said that. I speak from a very educated mind. I’m the wrong guy to go at because I do my homework.” James was named The Associated Press’ Male Athlete of the Year in 2020 after leading the Lakers to the NBA title, marking the fourth time he’d claimed the award. *James against N Tanzania on March 14, before playing Algeria and Congo. However, according to SCORENigeria reports officials of Bayern Munich are not happy with the loss of their team to the Eaglets, they sensed that such loss could hurt their brand. Super Eagles and former Bayern Munich defender Gernot Rohr watched the friendly played. And he urged the team to keep their heads high in Morocco, because some them could make it straight to the Super Eagles. “In my first match against Tanzania in Uyo, I took one U-17 player in 2016. You know who? Victor Osimhen,” added Rohr. “He came from the U- 17 team. “So, you boys are already close (to Super Eagles).” Barca reignite title hopes, down Sevilla 2-0 Barcelona reignited their title hopes after Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele scored in a 2-0 victory over Sevilla yesterday to put them two points behind Atletico Madrid. Atletico still have two games in hand, the first of those coming against sixth-placed Villarreal today, but a dip in form from La Liga’s leaders has given their chasing rivals hope. Barca looked dead and buried a few weeks ago but this was their ninth win out of 10 in La Liga, a surge that has put them back in contention, with Atletico playing against Real Madrid next weekend. Sevilla started the day as arguably the form team at the top, having won all of their last six league games, the last five of those without conceding a goal. But they were second best at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, a dominant performance from Barcelona exposing them still as slightly short of Spain’s top three. It also creates an intriguing back-drop to Wednesday’s Copa del Rey semifinal second leg when these two teams meet again, with Barca hoping to overturn a 2-0 deficit at Camp Nou. Pedri and Ronald Araujo could be doubts after both were substituted in the second half with what looked like injury problems. *Usoro Tokyo 2020: Usoro leaps qualification standard, competition arrives for Brume By Ben Efe Former junior athlete Ruth Usoro, had heads turning on Friday night when she leapt 6.82m in the women long jump event at the NCCA Big 12 Championships in Lubbock Texas, USA. Usoro who was discovered by late coach Adu Uruemu, with the jump, met the Olympic qualification standard for the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Japan. She has also brought local competition for World Championships bronze medallist, Ese Brume. Brume who was sixth at the last Olympics in Rio, Brazil has a personal best of 7.01m and won bronze with 6.91m at the Doha World Championships in 2019. Certainly Nigeria can now boast of two world class long jumpers and it will be an exciting prospect to see Brume and Usoro compete. Chioma Ajunwa still holds the women’s record for the event with 7.12m since Atlanta 1996 Olympics. Usoro, also good at the triple jump, set a national record of 14.28m in January, to erase Chinoye Ohadugha’s 41.21m set at the 2017 All Africa Games. It was Usoro’s first jump of the season. “It is a heartwarming performance from the young lady. She has proved to be very consistent this season and we are hoping to see more of such from her. “Certainly, we can now boast of two athletes we are sure can give us medals, with the right kind of preparations for the Tokyo 2020 Games,” said former African tripple jump champion and Athletics Federation of Nigeria board member, Rosa Collins. Iheanacho steps up for battle against Gunners L eicester coach Brendan Rodgers, is banking on Kelechi Iheanacho to fill in the gap for James Maddison in today’s Premier League clash against Arsenal. Leicester City will be without their first-choice attacking midfielder for the match and his usual replacements, Dennis Praet and Ayoze Perez, are fit either. Last Thursday against Slavia Prague, Rodgers moved Youri Tielemans forward, but he admitted that did not work, and so it is likely that the Belgian will drop into his usual deeper role for the visit of the Gunners. One bonus is that Iheanacho is now available after a midweek suspension, and he could be the man Rodgers turns to. Mass confusion as ref disallows Brighton’s goal EPL referee, Lee Mason sparked mass confu sion during West Brom’s clash with Brighton yesterday. The Seagulls endured a frustrating first-half at the Hawthorns as they trailed to Kyle Bartley’s 11thminute goal and then missed the chance to equalise from the penalty spot through Pascal Gross. And it got worse for Brighton when Lewis Dunk thought he had equalised when his quick free-kick caught out West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone in the 29th minute. Despite blowing his whistle for Dunk to take the free-kick, referee Mason disallowed the goal, which led to protests from Brighton players. In a manic five minutes, Mason then allowed the goal to stand, only for VAR to rule it out due to the official blowing his whistle a second time before the ball had crossed the line. The free-kick was eventually retaken by Dunk, whose effort was comfortably saved by Dunk.
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